HMCS MALPEQUE J148 / 186

 

Bangor Class Minesweeper

 


 

HMCS MALPEQUE J149

Click on the above photo to view a larger image

 

Laid down: 24 Apr 1940

Launched: 05 Sep 1940

Commissioned: 04 Aug 1941

Paid off: 09 Oct 1945

Re-acquired by RCN: 1952

Fate: Sold for scrap in Feb 1959

 

Built at North Vancouver Ship Repairs Ltd., she was commissioned at Vancouver on 04 Aug 1941. MALPEQUE left for Halifax on 13 Sep 1941, arriving on 19 Oct 1941. She was briefly assigned to Sydney Force, then to Newfoundland Force, with which she served until 19 Feb 1944, when, with CARAQUET, COWICHAN and VEGREVILLE, sailed for the U.K. via the Azores for invasion duties. Arriving at Plymouth on 13 Mar 1944, she was assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla, and was present on D-Day. She proceeded to Canada in Apr 1945, for refit at Liverpool, N.S., but returned to the U.K. in June and remained there until Sep 1945. She then returned home and was paid off on 09 Oct 1945, to reserve at Shelburne. Taken to Sorel in 1946 and placed in strategic reserve, she was re-acquired by the RCN in 1952 and laid up at Sydney. Never re-commissioned, she was sold for scrap in Feb 1959.

 


 

Photos and Documents          Ship's company photos

 

The Thirty-First Minesweeping Flotilla

 


 

Commanding Officers

 

A/LCdr William R. Stacey, RCNR - 04 Aug 1941 - 05 Aug 1942

Lt J.G. McQuarrie, RCNR - 06 Aug 1942 - 13 Sep 1942

A/LCdr William Roland Stacey, RCNR - 14 Sep 1942 - 12 Aug 1943

Lt J.A. Dunn, RCNVR - 13 Aug 1943 - 13 Sep 1943

A/LCdr W.R. Stacey, RCNR - 14 Sep 1943 - 24 Oct 1943

Lt Donald Davis, RCNVR - 25 Oct 1943 - 25 Apr 1945

Lt Orrin Ralph Archibald, RCNVR - 26 Apr 1945 - 09 Oct 1945

 


 

     In memory of those who have crossed the bar    

They shall not be forgotten

 

 


 

Former Crew Members

 

Baird, A. Kenneth, PO - 1945

 

Cannon, William Reagh, Lt, RCNVR - 07 Apr 1943

 

Clarke, A., L/Sto of Halifax - 1944

 

Clark, Stuart, LT (E), RCNVR - 05 Jun 1945

 

Gagne, Joseph Paul Rene, RCN - 21 May 1944

 

Hornbrook, John Jeffry, SLt, RCNVR - 16 Apr 1945

James, J., AB of Dartmouth, NS - 1944


LeBlanc, P., L/Sto - 1944


Lidell, Bert, AB, M.I.D., of Kingston, ON - 1944

 

MacDonald, Angus Raymond, SLt, RCNVR - 02 Apr 1945

 

MacDougall, D., A/ERA - 1944


McIsaac, J., Sig of Sydney, NS - 1944

Mombourquette, F., AB - 1944

 

O'Hearn, M., Stwd - 1944


Riggs, R., L/Sto - 1944

 

Shepherd, Sydney Woodroofe, Lt, RCNVR - 04 Mar 1942 - 1944

 

Slater, Herbert Ronald, SLt, RCNVR - 09 Apr 1945

 

Still, Allen, LS - 1944


Tilley, L, ERA, of Halifax, NS - 1944

 


 

Photos and Documents

 

LB36

 HMCS MALPEQUE J148 - England 1944 - photo taken from HMCS WASAGA

From the collection of AB.LTO Len Burton

Courtesy of David Burton

HMCS MALPEQUE J148

 

Source: Queen's Co. Museum, Liverpool, NS

 

Courtesy of Don Smith

Gerald Lillie (right) and winger

 

From the collection of Gerald Lillie

 

Courtesy of Phil Lillie

HMCS MALPEQUE J148 Christmas Card - 1943

 

From the collection of Thomas J. Cotey

 

Courtesy of Tim Cotey

Officers of HMCS MALPEQUE J148

 

Front Centre: LCdr W.R. Stacey, Commanding Officer

 

Back row, right: Lt Jack McCauley

 

Source: Nauticapedia / Patrick McCauley Collection

 

LCdr William Roland Stacey, Commanding Officer, HMCS MALPEQUE J148 - 1944

 

Source: Nauticapedia / Patrick McCauley Collection

HMCS MALPEQUE J148

 

From the collection of Jim Silvester

 

Courtesy of Jim Silvester

HMCS MALPEQUE Christmas card

 

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

 

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Message sent to HMCS Caraquet, HMCS Vegreville, HMCS Cowichan and HMCS MALPEQUE on their departure for Europe - 19 Feb 1944

 

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

 

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Invasion money and badge taken as a souvenir from a German ship that was boarded in the Channel

 

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

 

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Newspaper articles on the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla's involvement in D-Day

 

  

 

Royal Canadian navy ships in the 31st Flotilla were: HMCS CARAQUET, HMCS FORT WILLIAM, HMCS COWICHAN, HMCS BLAIRMORE, HMCS MALPEQUE, HMCS MILLTOWN, HMCS MINAS, HMCS MULGRAVE, HMCS WASAGA and HMCS BAYFIELD

 

Crew members listed in the 1st article along with the ships' COs are:

 

HMCS MALPEQUE:  Archibald, Orrin, Lt, XO;  Clarke, A., L/Sto of Halifax;  James, J., AB of Dartmouth;  Riggs, R., L/Sto;  Mombourquette, F., AB;  O'Hearn, M., Stwd;  Tilley, L, ERA of Halifax;  MacDougall, D., A/ERA;  LeBlanc, P., L/Sto;  McIsaac, J., Sig of Syndey;  Lidell, Bert, AB, M.I.D., of Kingston

 

HMCS MILLTOWN:  Burke, Lester, LS;  Fetinki, Patrick, L/C of Halifax;  Calder, Albert, Sto of Glace Bay;  Darrington, William, L/ERA of Inverness;  Hazell, Rockwell, SBA, of Scotch Village;  MacIntyre, John, ERA of Sydney;  Edwards, J., LS of Dartmouth;  Pineau, Joseph, CPO, M.I.D., of Port Arthur, ON, formerly of Charlottetown;  Birt, Wendell, L/Tell, of Charlotttown

 

HMCS FORT WILLIAM:  Kelly, George, Lt, from Ireland

 

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Newspaper article on the RCN's participation in D-Day

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Newspaper article on the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla clearing the approaches to Cherbourg Harbour, France

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Newspaper article showing the minesweeping gear on HMCS MALPEQUE during the Cherbourg operations.

 

Shown in the photo is LS Allan Still

 

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

 

Newspaper article showing the minesweeping gear on HMCS MALPEQUE during the Cherbourg operations

 

From the collection of J. Vincent Wesley, CPO, RCNVR

 

Courtesy of Marilynn Taylor

 

 

LS Allan Still of HMCS MALPEQUE checking minesweeping cable

 

From the collection of J. Vincent Wesley, CPO, RCNVR

 

Courtesy of Marilynn Taylor

 

 


PS01

OS02

PS03

PS04

(PS01) SLt Barry Brissenden, Victoria, BC on HMCS MALPEQUE  // (PS02) back of PS01

(PS03)  "Our convoy and "pip squeak" escort.  (Note short length of naval ship from bridge-aft) - 23 Mar 1942  //  (PS04) back of PS03

From the collection of LCol A.H. "Pete" Stevens

Courtesy of Colin Stevens

 


 

RM25

RM26

RM27

RM28

RM29

(RM25) HMCS MALPEQUE J148

(RM26) HMCS INGONISH J69

(RM27) Unknown sailors on HMCS MALPEQUE

(RM28) Sailors in front of gunshield on HMCS MALPEQUE - rear right - Robert Miller;  front left Enio Gerard.  Note: on 31 Oct 1943, while serving in HMCS EDMUNDSTON, Enio had been washed overboard and was rescued by his shipmates

(RM29)  HMCS MALPEQUE

 


 

Minesweeping Operations

 

The photos below- RM30 - RM47 are official RCN photos on minesweeping operations taken on/from HMCS MALPEQUE.  In a few photos censors blocked out the ship's pendant numbers and various antenna.

 

RM30

RM31

RM32

RM33

RM34

(RM30) Pendant number on lead ship partially visible.  Possibly HMCS BLAIRMORE J314

(RM31) Pendant number or lead ship partially visible. Possibly HMCS CARAQUET J38

 

RM35

RM36

RM37

RM38

RM39

(RM39) Robert Miller on right hand side of photo with light coloured shirt

 

RM40

RM41

 

 

RM42

RM43

RM44

 

RM45

RM46

RM47

(RM45) Orrin Ralph Archibald, Lt, RCNVR

(RM46) LS Allan Still (of Toronto, ON)

From the collection of Robert Neil (Bob) Miller, RCNVR

Courtesy of Neil Miller

 


 

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